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Contributed photo by Jessica Uttinger
A photo of Army Sgt. Wendall G. Fugett decorates a pot on a table at his memorial ceremony in Mainville Saturday afternoon, July 11, 2009. Fugett died in battle in 1944 during World War II. The event was organized by his sister Lillian Sackett.
WWII casualty finally gets full military funeral
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By Marie Rossiter,
Staff Writer
5:04 PM Saturday, July 11, 2009
MAINEVILLE — Lillian Sackett stood in front of her Maineville home clutching three empty rifle shell casings.
“God, country and service,” Sackett said, pointing to each one, a tangible reminder of the 21-gun salute an honor guard just completed. “The VFW gave these to me for Wendall.”
Nearly 65 years after his death, her brother, Sgt. Wendall G. Fugett, was honored Saturday, July 11, with a full military funeral at the last home he knew and shared with his family in Warren County, where Sackett still lives.
Fugett died Oct. 26, 1944, after his squadron’s B-24 Liberator bomber was shot down during a mission against a Japanese fleet near Morotal Island in the South Pacific Ocean. Fugett and nine other crew members of the Army Air Forces 307th Bombardment Group were never found.
Fugett, 20, spent only 10 days in his squadron before his plane went down.
The service was held on what would have been Fugett’s 85th birthday. Sackett said they didn’t intentionally plan the event to coincide with his birthday.
“We wanted to find a day where there weren’t other commitments and July is a busy month in our family,” Sackett said. “It just turned out that this Saturday was the best day.”
Much to the Sackett’s surprise, more than 100 people, including family, friends and community members, attended the service.
“When I started planning this, I expected a little get together,” she told everyone huddled under a large white tent during a sudden downpour. “It’s wonderful that we’ve all come together for this.”
Fugett and Sackett’s sister, Edwina Tucker, said the family was “overcome” with the support shown by friends and the community. She said she wasn’t sure why so many people latched onto their family’s story, but had a theory.
“Maybe it’s the wars going on now,” Tucker said. “With everything going on, I think we forget things like this happen every day and this reminds us.”
According to military papers, Fugett’s Army Air Force group honored the squadron with a service in the Philippines on Feb. 13, 1945.
Sackett always wanted to do more for her brother. But, Fugett’s mother was overcome with grief and the family was afraid of what a funeral might do to her.
“Mom wouldn’t admit he was gone,” Tucker said. “After she passed away, we always said we would do it. But, time passes by and it never happened.”
After almost 65 years, 87-year-old Sackett decided it was time to finally pull something together. Friends and family offered to help and eventually contacted Mason VFW Post 9622 to see what they could do to help honor Fugett.
“This bothered his sister her whole life,” said VFW member Roger Yost. “These services are for the living to honor the dead. We’re honored to be involved.”
For Sackett, one part of the service gave her the closure the family had been missing for so long.
“Hearing them play ‘Taps’ stood out the most,” Sackett said. “It makes you think how final it all is.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4542 or mrossiter@coxohio.com.
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5:33 PM, 7/11/2009